Re: Cross platform ok. Same interface for Desktop/Mobile, not so much
One place where that's gone wrong, is Apple's mouse. While I like its swipe-to-scroll hardware, they've got the direction wrong. On a phone, swiping feels natural, because I grab the virtual paper and push it around. But on a pointing device, which is far from the screen, that's startling. On the rare occasions I use one, I have to concentrate on doing it counterintuitively.
Maybe there's no right or wrong here. Apple takes a document-centric perspective, while I prefer my first-person one, rolling the mouse-wheel in the direction I want to look…
Unrelated to mobile, a similar ancient problem is Windows' click-to-point and raise-when-activated. Both do not reflect the real world, but have sadly been sheepishly copied by many Linux desktops, and been made the hard to change default!
If I point at a picture on the wall, you'll know I mean that picture – no need to go and tap on it. Why then are desktops hiding the focus-follows-mouse option so well?
Likewise, if I have several papers on my desk, the one I'm reading may be partially buried. I'll move it as needed, which will not make it magically jump on top. That's where I have and keep the notepad I'm writing on. Why then again are desktops hiding the raise-when-focused (=false) option so well?
OTOH, at work we use Outlook 365. It's the sole app where I do want the notifier to pop up on top. Alas it does not, if I forgot to close the previous appointment. That buggy crap has made me late to some meetings already. :-( And even when it does remember to pop up, the above nuisance of an untimely click elsewhere may immediately bury it unnoticed…